history of valentine's day assignment

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Holidays & Entertaining
• Valentine's Day

The History of Valentine's Day, and Why We Celebrate

Valentine’s Day may be associated with romance, but the origin of the holiday isn’t exactly romantic. Here’s the history of Valentine’s Day you may not know—plus when Valentine’s Day 2024 is so you can plan.

Haley is a Wisconsin-based creative freelancer and recent graduate. She has worked as an editor, fact checker, and copywriter for various digital and print publications. Her most recent position was in academic publishing as a publicity and marketing assistant for the University of Wisconsin Press

• How did Valentine's Day start?
• Why is Valentine's Day celebrated on February 14th?
• Who was Saint Valentine?
• Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day?
• What is Galentine's Day, and how is it related to Valentine's Day?
• Is Valentine's Day a holiday?
• What is the meaning of Valentine's Day?
• Valentine's Day fun facts
• What are some fun things to do for Valentine's Day?

Whether you love Valentine's Day or hate it, one thing's clear: Valentine's Day history goes way back. And while Valentine's Day is now known for kissing, Valentine's Day gifts, and hard-to-get dinner reservations, the origins of the holiday are far less romantic. Here, the Valentine's Day history that wouldn't make it into a rom-com, featuring a saint, a massacre, and even the sinful nuns of Valentine's Day (seriously!).

When is Valentine’s Day?

First, a quick refresher: Valentine's Day always falls on February 14. Valentine's Day 2024 will be Wednesday, February 14. (But just wait until 2025, when it falls on a Friday!)

At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day, and since then, February 14th has been a day of celebration—though it was generally more religious than romantic.

How did Valentine’s Day start?

Valentine's Day is a fixed day on the calendar that got lumped into a mid-February holiday on the ancient Roman calendar called Lupercalia—which some historians believe is what led to Valentine's Day being all about love. Lupercalia celebrated fertility, and may have included a ritual in which men and women were paired off by choosing names from a jar. In Ancient Greece, people observed a mid-winter celebration for the marriage of the god Zeus and the goddess Hera.

Why is Valentine's Day celebrated on February 14th?

In general, early Christians often opted to celebrate holidays on days that coincide with existing festivals and celebrations (like Christmas and winter solstice), so they placed Valentine's Day on February 14th, while Lupercalia was celebrated on February 15th.

Who was Saint Valentine? (And what does he have to do with chocolate hearts?)

Natalia Ganelin/Getty Images

Not much, it turns out. St. Valentine's Day was a feast day in the Catholic religion, added to the liturgical calendar around 500 AD. The day was commemorated for martyred saints named—you guessed it—Valentine. Differing legends celebrate three different saints called Valentine or Valentinus, but since very little was known about these men and there were conflicting reports of the St. Valentine Day story, the feast day was removed from the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar in 1969.

But even though not much is known about the real history of the Saint Valentines on whom the holiday is based, the legend of Saint Valentine has several tellings. One legend says that Saint Valentine refused to convert to paganism and was executed by Roman Emperor Claudius II. Prior to his execution, he was able to miraculously heal the daughter of his jailer, who then converted to Christianity along with his family. Another legend says a bishop called Saint Valentine of Terni is the true namesake of the holiday; this Saint Valentine was also executed.

But according to others—and this is how Saint Valentine became affiliated with a love-focused holiday—Saint Valentine was a Roman priest who performed weddings for soldiers forbidden to marry, because of a Roman emperor's edict decreeing married soldiers did not make good warriors and thus young men could not marry. This Saint Valentine wore a ring with a Cupid on it—a symbol of love—that helped soldiers recognize him. And, in a precursor to greeting cards, he handed out paper hearts to remind Christians of their love for God.

Because of this legend, Saint Valentine became known as the patron saint of love. The Saint Valentine prayer asks Saint Valentine to connect lovers together, so that two become one, and the couple remembers their devotion to God.

While the Saint Valentine story set the groundwork for establishing the day as a holiday for romantic love, what truly solidified the connection between Saint Valentine and love was a poem by medieval author Geoffrey Chaucer in 1375, which historians consider the origin of the "modern" celebration of Valentine's Day, where we celebrate our romantic partnership with one other person.

Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Chaucer lived in the Middle Ages, the era of courtly love, when broad, romantic statements of devotion—poems, songs, paintings—celebrated partnership. By the end of the 15th century, the word "valentine" was being used to describe a lover in poems and songs of the day, and in the 18th century, a book called The Young Man's Valentine Writer was published in England. By the mid-19th century, mass-produced paper Valentine's Cards were being created (though DIY Valentine's card ideas are still worth trying), and Valentine's Day as we know it was born.

The truth about Valentine's Day history is that the romantic holiday isn't immune to tragedy. During Prohibition in Chicago, seven men were killed by a gang organized by Al Capone on Feb. 14, 1929. The Valentine's Day Massacre became a flashpoint in Prohibition history, with police and lawmakers going after the gangs and mobs that had formed in cities to control then-illegal substances like alcohol.

What is Galentine's Day, and how is it related to Valentine's Day?

A modern (and fun!) take on Valentine's Day, Galentine's Day has been a recent addition to Valentine's Day history. It seems to have been popularized by Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope on  Parks and Recreation. It's a day to celebrate the friends that you love. It's celebrated on February 13 (leaving you plenty of time to celebrate your mate on official Valentine's Day the following day). Galentine's Day gifts have become a nice way to celebrate the people who mean so much to you.

Is Valentine's Day a holiday?

While many people celebrate Valentine's Day in all kinds of different ways, it's no longer an official Catholic holiday—and unfortunately for all the romantics out there, it's not an official bank holiday or day off (though you can always take the day off for a special day with your significant other!).

What is the meaning of Valentine’s Day?

Over the years (and centuries), Valentine's Day has been a religious celebration, an ancient ritual day, and a commercial holiday. All that change means the meaning of Valentine's Day is truly whatever you want it to be: You can skip the celebrations completely, buy yourself some chocolate or flowers, or express your love and appreciation for the people in your life, whether they're co-workers, romantic partners, friends, or family members.

Valentine's Day fun facts

Want to impress your friends and family with your Valentine's Day knowledge (or just win your Valentine's Day trivia contest at the local pub)? Check out these Valentine's Day fun facts:

• The average Valentine's Day gift giver spends nearly $200 on Valentine's Day gifts and goodies—for about $26 billion overall.

• While most people send out nice messages for the holiday, Victorian-era folks sometimes used valentines to turn down a suitor, called a vinegar valentine.

• More than 250 million roses are produced for Valentine's Day—with red roses making up nearly two-thirds of that number.

Liliboas/Getty Images

• Valentine's Day is one of the most popular days to propose. (In fact, if you got engaged between December and February, you're in the zone when the most proposals happen.)

• The color red and the heart shape first started showing up in medieval art during the 14th and 15th century.

• If you don't make a big deal about Valentine's Day, you're not alone. A YouGov survey found that only 30% of Americans thought it was a real special occasion—with most people liking holidays like New Year's Eve, Halloween, Labor Day, and Memorial Day more than the day of love.

What are some fun things to do for Valentine's Day?

You can celebrate the day of love however you want—even if it's just through self-love. Some ideas that could inspire you:

• Plan a nice dinner out

•  Watch a romantic movie (at the theater or cozy at home)

• Cook up a fancy romantic meal at home (or just a great Valentine's Day dessert )

• Host a Valentine's Day party

• Do some fun Valentine's crafts with your family

• Curl up with a steamy romance novel

• Write your mate a love letter (and don't forget to include a love quote or two!)

• Opt for some very flattering candlelight (with a few of our favorite romantic candles )

• Indulge in a relaxing bath (for one or two!)

National Retail Federation. Consumers plan to Increase Valentine’s Day spending to nearly $26 billion .

Society of American Florists. Valentine's Day floral statistics .

YouGov. Valentine’s Day ranks behind just about every major holiday among Americans . 2022.

Related Articles

VA Services

History of valentine’s day lesson.

• February , Holidays
• No Comments

Do your students know about the history behind one of the most “loved” holidays? Teach them the WHOLE story behind the modern-day traditions they know so well with the perfect History of Valentine’s Day lesson. 

We know February 14th as a day for candy, flowers, and gifts for the people we love. Some people like to credit the card and chocolate companies for Valentine’s Day, but it actually has a rich and super interesting history.

The History of Valentine’s Day Lesson

I love using videos and guided web quests to let my students explore the mysterious legends that surround the holiday of love. February is associated with love and romance. However, the true origins of this popular holiday are not so clear. From the mysterious Saint Valentine to the match-making festival Lupercalia, exploring the history of Valentine’s Day can be so much fun! 

You can find my favorite History of Valentine’s Day lesson HERE . 

The mysterious saint valentine.

Who is Saint Valentine? And why does he get his own holiday? We know that he was a Priest who rebelled against Emperor Claudius II by performing secret marriages after marriage was outlawed for soldiers. Claudius sentenced Valentine to death for rebelling against him. Romantic, right? 

Another legend claims that while imprisoned, Valentine sent the first “valentine” love card to a young girl who visited him in prison. He signed the letter, “From your Valentine.” This is why we use that expression today. 

Match-Making Festival in February

Can you imagine drawing your future husband or wife’s name out of a hat? Have your students explore the connection between Valentine’s Day and the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, where they did just that. Lupercalia was an ancient Roman fertility festival held on February 15th. During this festival, young women place their names in an urn. Then, bachelors drew the names of women out of the urn. These “love” matches often resulted in marriages.     

All About the Birds

During the Middle Ages, February 14th was thought to be the start of the bird’s mating season in France and England. Hence the association of Valentine’s Day with love and romance! 

Don’t Forget Cupid 

A history of Valentine’s Day lesson is not complete without Cupid. Cupid has his roots in Greek mythology as the Greek god of love, Eros. Cupid (aka Eros) used golden arrows to incite love. However, it wasn’t until the Hellenistic period that he was portrayed as the chubby little cherub we know today.

No-Prep History of Valentine’s Day Lesson

Now that you have a brief history, you need a way to cover all of this information in one engaging lesson. That’s why I created a History of Valentine’s Day Lesson that lets your students dive into the story of Valentine’s Day all the way back to the time of ancient Rome!

The activities in this resource will engage and excite your students. First, they will watch an introductory video on the history of Valentine’s Day.  Second, they will complete a comprehensive web quest where they will read about the story of Valentine’s Day and respond to some text-dependent questions.  Finally, they will summarize their learning in a writing activity.

This History of Valentine’s Day lesson comes with BOTH digital and paper versions of THREE highly engaging activities to use in your study of Valentine’s Day. You get Video Notes, a History of Valentine’s Day WebQuest, and a Writing Summary activity. 

Just Click HERE to get your History of Valentine’s Day lesson today! 

I hope you feel more prepared to teach your students all about the rich and interesting history of Valentine’s Day. Exploring the origins of this famous day of love gives meaning to the traditions we all know so well. And if you want to embrace those traditions entrenched in deep history, then you will definitely need some Valentine’s Day Swag! 

Just check out the three Valentine’s Day-Teacher T-Shirts linked below. You will be ready to rock your history of Valentine’s Day lesson in one of these awesome T’s. 

• Teacher-Glitter Red Heart T-Shirt
• Teach With Love T-Shirt
• L-O-V-E Teacher T-Shirt

It’s never too early to start your holiday lesson planning! Click HERE for ideas on how to teach the History of St. Patrick’s Day. And, for a full year of holiday resources for every month, you can find my growing bundle here . 

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You might Also Like:

©2021 HIstory From the Middle. All Rights Reserved.

Designed by ashley hughes., use of cookies, privacy overview.

History of Valentine’s Day

History of Valentine’s Day is a high-interest reading comprehension lesson that allows students to practice grade-appropriate reading comprehension, foundational reading, and reading fluency skills. These reading comprehension lessons are designed to be completed in one or two class settings.

Each lesson discusses a subject that students want to read about and that teachers will want to incorporate into their reading instruction. The lesson is appropriate as a whole-class, stand-alone lesson or as an independent small-group activity. Be sure to watch the Learn Bright video that goes with this lesson!

Description

Additional information, what our history of valentine’s day lesson plan includes.

Lesson Objectives and Overview: History of Valentine’s Day is a high-interest reading comprehension lesson plan. As such, students will practice various close reading and comprehension skills. In addition, they will discover the origins of this popular holiday. This lesson is for students in 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand.

Teacher Notes

The paragraph on this page gives you a little more information on the lesson overall and describes what you may want to focus your teaching on. It explains that you can teach this lesson in a whole-class setting or as an independent, small-group activity. The blank lines are available for you to write out any thoughts or ideas you have as you prepare.

HISTORY OF VALENTINE’S DAY LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

Saint valentine.

The History of Valentine’s Day lesson plan contains three content pages. Which holiday is celebrated every February 14th and includes candy-shaped hearts and decorative cards? It’s Valentine’s Day, of course! In the past, you have probably celebrated this great holiday before and given or gotten a valentine. Maybe your best friend shared candy-shaped hearts, cupcakes, and chocolates with you. Maybe your class had a party to celebrate! But have you ever wondered how Valentine’s Day started?

There is a lot of mystery surrounding Valentine’s Day. Historians think it began over 4,000 years ago in ancient Rome at the end of the fifth century BCE. That’s a long time ago! The first mystery involves who the holiday is named for—who was St. Valentine? There were a lot of people back then with Valentine as their last name. Luckily, historians have narrowed it down to a few possibilities.

One legend is that the holiday is named after a priest in third-century Rome. At the time, Roman Emperor Claudius II decided that married men with families should not serve in the Roman military. So, he made doing so against the law. The priest thought this was unfair.

In protest of the law, Valentine performed secret wedding ceremonies for young single soldiers who wanted to get married. When Claudius found out, he had Valentine arrested and then beheaded for not following his order. Around the same time, Claudius beheaded a Catholic bishop, Saint Valentine of Terni, for doing the same thing—performing illegal weddings. But it is still not clear which Valentine the holiday is named after.

Other Legends

Another legend is that a man named Valentine was killed for helping Christian prisoners in Roman jails. Romans were not huge fans of Christians because they thought they were trying to overthrow the government and stir up trouble. Roman soldiers rounded up suspected Christians, threw them into dark and dank prisons, and tortured or killed them for their beliefs.

In this legend, Valentine was imprisoned along with the Christians. While awaiting judgment, he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter, who was helping out around the prison. The legend says that Valentine sent messages to her. Before his death, he signed his last letter, “From your Valentine.” Nearly all valentines these days have that written on them! At the end of the fifth century, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in his honor.

People continued to celebrate Valentine’s Day during the Middle Ages, but its beginnings were still murky. This is when the holiday became associated with love, which was a big change from earlier times. In fourteenth-century France and England, February 14 was seen as the beginning of the birds’ mating season. In 1375, English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote, “For this was sent on Saint Valentine’s Day when every fowl come here to choose his mate,” in a poem. Some historians credit Chaucer with starting the tradition of Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday.

Valentine’s greetings were part of the popular culture of the 1400s. Like the other legends surrounding the holiday, historians debate about the origin of the first written valentine. In 1415, a Frenchman named Charles, Duke of Orléans, was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was held as a war prisoner in England for 25 years. At some point during that time, he wrote a love poem to his wife, not knowing whether he would be executed or freed. However, some evidence suggests he wrote this poem after he was released, not while he was there.

Popularity of Valentine’s Day

In the 1700s and 1800s, Americans communicated with hand-delivered or mailed letters. It’s easy to imagine how sending notes became part of the Valentine’s tradition. It became common for friends to exchange tokens of friendship or love in handwritten notes on February 14. The invention of the printing press allowed people to use printed cards instead of writing them by hand. The first mass-produced printed cards appeared in 1840.

An artist named Esther Howland saw an opportunity to sell valentines and started a company to produce them. She began the small company in her family home, employing young girls to help glue lace to her hand-designed creations. Howland became known as the “Mother of the American Valentine.” In 1882, she sold her company to the Whitney Company, making it the world’s largest manufacturer of Valentine’s Day cards at that time.

Valentine’s Day has grown in popularity since its earliest beginnings. Today, it is one of the most popular holidays in the world. Companies sell more than 145 million valentines annually. Along with cards, candy is a very popular gift. Cadbury Company created the first heart-shaped chocolates in 1861. More than 36 million boxes of chocolate heart-shaped candy are sold each year! Do you like those candy-shaped hearts with messages on them? Conversation hearts were first produced in 1866. Today, companies around the world make 8 billion candies yearly. Flowers are popular as well. Rose farmers grow around 250 million roses every year for people to give away!

Over the centuries, Valentine’s Day has meant different things to different people. For some, it started as a religious tradition celebrating the life of Saint Valentine. For others, the holiday is used to express their love for someone. And some see the holiday as a gimmick to spend more money. What hasn’t changed is the core message of spreading love and appreciation for the people in your life. While we may not know much about the origins of how Valentine’s Day started, we do know how to celebrate it!

HISTORY OF VALENTINE’S DAY LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The History of Valentine’s Day lesson plan includes two worksheets: an activity worksheet and a practice worksheet. Each one will help students solidify their grasp of the material they learned throughout the lesson. You can refer to the classroom procedure guidelines to know when to hand out each worksheet.

ACROSTIC POEM ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

For the activity, students will create an acrostic poem using the letters from the word VALENTINE. The worksheet provides an example of what an acrostic poem looks like for reference. You are welcome to have students work in pairs or groups instead of independently if you prefer.

HISTORY OF VALENTINE’S DAY PRACTICE WORKSHEET

The practice worksheet lists 10 questions based on the content. These questions all relate to the content pages, so students will need to refer to them often for the answers. In addition, each question provides which reading tool the question corresponds to, such as text feature, vocabulary, or comprehension.

Worksheet Answer Keys

At the end of the lesson plan document is an answer key for the practice worksheet. The correct answers are all in red to make it easier for you to compare them with students’ responses. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

Related products

Sports: Ultimate

All about Africa

Sports: Ice Hockey

Sports: Professional Wrestling

Make your life easier with our lesson plans, stay up-to-date with new lessons.

• Lesson Plans
• For Teachers

© 2024 Learn Bright. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions. Privacy Policy.

• Sign Up for Free

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Valentine’s Day Across the Curriculum: Exploring the History, Literature, Economics, Science, Math and Psychology of Love and Romance

By Katherine Schulten

• Feb. 13, 2019

Updated: Feb., 2020

Is there a place for love and romance — or, at least, reading, writing and research about academic aspects of it — in your classroom?

Try some of our ideas, below, though make sure to first preview the Times articles linked from each to determine their appropriateness for your students.

We’d also be delighted to hear what you do (or don’t do!) to mark this holiday in your classroom; please leave a note in the comments.

Language Arts

Write Personal Essays, Stories and Poems about Relationships

— In this article ten New Yorkers tell short personal stories of love and enchantment in the City. In this piece , people share stories of breakups and bad dates. Use these stories or the weekly Modern Love column — in which essayists write about relationships with romantic partners, family members, friends or even beloved animals — as inspiration for your own essays, stories and poems. And if the longer essays are too challenging as models, try the “ Tiny Love Stories, ” each no more than 100 words. What would yours say?

— Or, listen to love with the Modern Love podcast — and find a Reader Idea about using those podcasts to teach narrative writing . If you get really inspired and want to make your own, consider submitting it to our annual Student Podcast Contest this spring. In 2018 one of our winning teams was a teenage couple, Quinn Page and Bailey Osborne, who explored the question, Should your significant other be your best friend?

— Watch love stories via Modern Love videos, like the one below:

Modern Love | A Kiss, Deferred

A 12-year-old girl’s life and love are shattered by the war in bosnia and herzegovina..

— Use the 21 sentence starters, adapted from Times essays and articles about love and relationships, that we’ve compiled in our Passion Prompts: Sentence Starters for Writing About Relationships to get started on your own fiction or nonfiction piece.

Share Your Thoughts on Love and Romance

Respond to our love-and-romance-related writing prompts . (Please note: those published on our old site are no longer open for comment.)

— How Do You Feel About Valentine’s Day?

— How Much of a Romantic Are You?

— How Do You Think Technology Affects Dating?

— Do You Find It Hard to Say ‘I Love You’?

— Should Your Significant Other Be Your Best Friend?

— What Are the Basic ‘Rules’ for Handling Breakups?

— What’s the Best Way to Heal a Broken Heart?

— How Important Do You Think It Is to Marry Someone With the Same Religion?

— Is Dating a Thing of the Past?

— Is Hookup Culture Leaving Your Generation Unhappy and Unprepared for Love?

— Could Following These Directions Make You Fall in Love With a Stranger?

— Have You Ever Been in Love?

— Have you ever imagined your own wedding?

Write Letters of Love and Appreciation

— Write a love letter — to your crush, a friend, a pet, a place or even a favorite possession. Use these drawings, letters, poems, telegrams and letters created by famous New Yorkers as inspiration. Or, answer our Student Opinion question, “ What Does the World Need to Know About an Important Person in Your Life? ” that was inspired by a popular Modern Love essay, “ You May Want to Marry My Husband .”

— You could also try to send a Valentine’s Day appreciation to the people who have played important roles in your life. In this essay , a writer tells everyone from her fifth grade crush to her hairdresser to her therapist what they mean to her. Who would be on your list?

Read and Write About Weddings

— Using the weekly Vows or Mini-Vows columns in the Weddings section as inspiration, interview a couple about their relationship. (How did they meet? What are the most memorable moments in their history together? What makes them well-suited to each other?) Write up what you learn in a short and entertaining Vows-style narrative and illustrate your story with a photo. Or, make a video, like this one about the first-ever same-sex couple to appear in the column, in 2002.

— Read about 10 inspirational marriage proposals Times readers submitted in 2009, then write a short skit that depicts an original and memorable marriage proposal between characters you invent.

Take Some Romance-Themed Literacy Quizzes

— Match the besotted, thwarted, inappropriate or (more rarely) happy character from classic works of literature with his or her beloved via this quiz .

— What words belong in the 21 blanks of our Valentine’s Day fill-in ? You can fill them in from your own imagination, “Mad-Libs”-style, or choose from a scrambled list of the words that originally appeared in this 2010 Modern Love column.

— E.L.L. students might enjoy our interactive quiz and teaching suggestions for Valentine’s Day that are inspired by a fun Times article about one offbeat way to spend the holiday.

History and Psychology

Learn About Love and Marriage Through the Ages and Across the Globe

— What do primary documents from different eras tell us about attitudes toward love, romance and marriage? Read this Op-Ed piece that features Victorian-era “amorous advertisements,” taken from the pages of The New York Herald, and compare them with similar ads, from Craigslist or elsewhere, today.

— Look inside a vast collection of cards, from as early as the 1680s, featuring pop-ups, cutouts and Civil War soldiers in " Three Centuries of Valentines Offer 12,000 Ways to Say ‘I Love You’. ” Compare the words, images and sentiments to Valentines cards today. What’s changed? What’s remained the same?

— Or, go on a hunt through Times Machine , as we did in this post , putting in the search term “Valentine’s Day” to see how the holiday was celebrated, and reported on, in Times history.

— Just what are we celebrating when we celebrate Valentine’s Day? Where did this holiday come from and why do we care about it so much? Read this article about major Valentine’s Day theories , from ancient Rome to the present. Then, do your own research to see what other histories you can find. Which do you find the most compelling and why?

— Where in the world is Valentine’s Day, or a tradition like it, celebrated? How does it differ from celebrations in the U.S.? For instance, read “ ‘You Can’t Ban Love’: Pakistanis Defy a Valentine’s Day Prohibition ” to learn about how the Islamabad High Court banned Valentine’s celebrations across Pakistan, deeming them “against the teachings of Islam” and a sign of growing Western influence — and how some are taking a risk by celebrating anyway. Or, read about the day sometimes called Russian St. Valentine’s Day and what it honors.

— The speed and the scope of the gay rights movement has been “astonishing” compared to that of movements for African-Americans’ or women’s rights, The Times wrote in a 2013 piece, “ A Sea Change in Less Than 50 Years as Gay Rights Gained Momentum .” Two years later a Supreme Court ruling made same-sex marriage a right nationwide in the United States. What do you know about the history of this movement in the United States? Elsewhere in the world? Use Times search to learn more, and to see where L.G.B.T.Q. issues stand today.

Test a Psychological Experiment

— Here’s how “To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This,” one of the most popular-ever posts on NYTimes.com. It begins:

More than 20 years ago, the psychologist Arthur Aron succeeded in making two strangers fall in love in his laboratory. Last summer, I applied his technique in my own life, which is how I found myself standing on a bridge at midnight, staring into a man’s eyes for exactly four minutes.

Read the essay and discuss whether or not you believe this could actually work — or put it to the test by experimenting with a partner and the 36 Questions That Lead to Love. After, consider the questions we ask in our related Student Opinion question : What makes two people fall in love? Is it fate or chemistry? Or could it simply be having the chance to get to know someone intimately in a short period of time?

— Or, read another of the most popular Modern Love columns of all time, “What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage,” and learn about the behavioral techniques the writer learned from a dolphin trainer to “nudge” her husband “a little closer to perfect.” You might then try out similar techniques, whether in the context of a relationship, a bad habit of your own, or as a way to “nudge” your school or community on a particular issue or behavior.

Investigate and Advise the “Romance Industry”

What are the economics of Valentine’s Day and the romance industry in general? Check out pieces on everything from the reason behind the 2019 dearth of Sweethearts candies to how the world’s top flower market gets ready for Valentine’s Day . Then, choose a business, industry or local store that thrives on Valentine’s Day and investigate how it advertises, what special products it offers, how its services or offerings have changed over the years. (For instance, this 2020 article reports that Finally, this article reports that “the sharing economy has come for the flower industry” thanks to “climate-conscious romantics.”) What advice would you give this business? Why?

Or, focus only on the economic impact of online dating, and research the various services, like online dating coaches , that have grown up around it. How do these businesses work? Why, according to this article , are they fairly easy to start but hard to grow? Where do you think this industry will go in the future? Why?

In fact, online dating has become such a big business that, according to reports filed with the Federal Trade Commission, Americans looking for love lost at least $143 million to scammers last year . What advice might you give a friend or relative to make sure they stay safe?

Be a Romance Entrepreneur

Invent your own Valentine’s Day product, service or app. For instance, what gifts would you add to this T Magazine list for those who are “indifferent, hurt, on the run or dumped?”

Tell Someone You Love Them — With Economics

— Write a Valentine’s message using the language of economics. The Economix Blog reports on Twitter #FedValentines like “You had me at QE1″ and “I’d like to borrow you overnight and then hold you to maturity.”

— In “How to Be a Better Valentine, Through Economics,” a professor at Stanford recommends three simple steps to be smarter at signaling your love for someone. What advice do you find most interesting? Why?

Budget for Romance

— Plan a romantic getaway or dinner on a budget, using Times resources. If you had, say, $100 (or $25, or $5) to spend on Valentine’s Day, how could you get the most bang for your buck? Use this lesson plan with the Valentine’s Day Times Topics page , which includes recipes for Valentine’s dinners and suggestions for places to visit, things to do and gifts to give, to plan the best celebration possible.

Fine Arts and Media

Looking for love.

View Slide Show ›

Look for Artistic Manifestations of Love

— In “Love Is in the Air, and in the Art,” a critic first defines several types of love, then looks for manifestations of them in art in New York City — and finds everything from a sculpture called “Sleeping Eros” at the Metropolitan Museum to the bronze figure of Balto, a heroic dog, in Central Park. Where can you find manifestations of love in art in your area?

Create Art to Explore Love and Relationships

— In a work of Op-Art called “Pick Your Cupid,” artist Ji Lee takes the classic cherub figure and remakes it to express everything from “In a relationship, but looking” to “hipster” to “filthy rich.” Choose another classic symbol of love and create versions that say something new, or needed, for the 21st century.

— Create a photo essay or video about some aspect of love and romance in your life, school or community. You could photograph “Where to Hold Hands” in your area, curate images of kisses that like these, show many meanings , document how a local restaurant celebrates Valentine’s Day , create original works of art that modernize older notions of love and relationships , or create a map or graphic that explores your romantic life — real or imagined.

Math, Science and Technology

Analyze a Graphic on the Language of Love

The graph above is from our weekly “ What’s Going On in This Graph? ” feature and is in some way related to love and relationships. Take a closer look and tell us: What do you notice? What do you wonder? What do you think is going on in this graph? Read the comments to see what other students had to say and what our moderators from the American Statistical Association replied, then then add your own.

Use Math to Make the Perfect Valentine

“Nothing says ‘I love you’ like a customizable algebraic equation,” writes The Times about Süss, the math widget above:

Like many geometric figures, a heart can be captured in all its curvaceous glory by a single algebraic equation. The equation for a sphere looks simple enough: x²+y²+z²=1. A heart is something more complex: (x²+((1+b)y)²+z²-1)³-x²z³-ay²z³=0 Süss — German for “sweet” — is an interactive widget that allows you to tweak the algebra and customize the heart to your souls’s delight. It was created for Valentine’s Day by Imaginary, a nonprofit organization in Berlin that designs open-source mathematics programs and exhibitions. (You can also visit their widget on its website here .)

Play with the widget and read about how it incorporates the concept of extreme points, or “singularities,” a subject of study in the field of algebraic geometry.

Study the Science of Love

— Find out what happens in the brain when you fall in love , as well as how your brain reacts to being dumped.

— Use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to study the heart. The Times Health section has a special page on Heart Disease and Health , which you could use while doing our lesson plans on advanced technologies used to treat diseases of the cardiopulmonary system , or on looking at how social class affects the health of heart patients .

Learn About Chocolate

How is it made? How can consumers choose the best and most ethically produced bars? This primer can tell you everything you need to know — and can show students how reading about chocolate can teach them fascinating things about science, history, geography, culture, ethics and economics along the way.

Explore the Impact of Technology on Relationships

App Smart | The Dating Game

Apps like happn, bumble and glimpse offer an alternative to tinder..

— Do you use dating apps ? Do you hate them? Are these apps just for hookups, or can you find a serious relationship partner ? Are you interested in alternatives ? In our Student Opinion question, “ How Do You Think Technology Affects Dating? ” debate whether technology has improved love, romance and dating, or hindered it. Where do you stand? Why? To consider ideas, consult this piece by the editor of the Modern Love column about how tech has transformed relationships.

— Does Technology Make Us More Alone? This was one of our most popular Student Opinion questions ever. Watch the related video “ Disruptions: More Connected, Yet More Alone ,” then add your own thoughts and experiences to the conversation.

Save 10% today on your lessons using the code GIVEME10

Fun Valentine’s Day Lessons For Middle School Students

Valentine’s Day lessons can be found for middle school students!

Valentine’s Day is usually only celebrated in the elementary years. In middle school, you may use the holiday as a reason to have a dance as a fundraiser, but that is usually the extent of the “fun” around Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day Background Information

What is valentine’s day, and where did it start .

Today, we see Valentine’s Day as a day to show your love to others, usually in the form of chocolates and paper valentines. But it actually originated hundreds of years ago, starting as Saint Valentine’s Day and honouring the Catholic patron saint of love, Saint Valentine. 

There is a legend about a priest who was martyred by the Roman Empire, who literally died for love. The story is about Saint Valentine, who ignored the ban against soldiers marrying and would perform marriages for the soldiers and their would-be wives. When he was caught, he was sentenced to death as a punishment. 

Sounds romantic, right? But one small detail that is a possible part of the story is that Saint Valentine sent a note to a girl before he was executed, thus starting the tradition of sending valentines. 

Valentine’s Day was recognized as a holiday starting in the late 5th century and may have been a reflection of the martyrdom and sacrifice of Saint Valentine. The tradition continues today, and over 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent every year. 

Middle School Valentine’s Day Lessons

I have fond memories of making my Valentine’s Day card holder in school and wanted to bring some of that magic into the school grades. I created a mini unit to help middle school teachers bring back that Valentine’s Day magic into their classroom, but with a focus on curriculum and rigour.

Start your lesson by having students watch one or two videos about this holiday. This video, How Did Valentine’s Day Start? by COLOSSAL QUESTIONS , is a great video to start with.  Then, have students work on the lessons in this engaging Valentine’s Day Unit for middle school. It contains 10 different activities that will help reinforce your students’ reading, writing, speaking, listening, and creativity skills.

Unit Overview:

• Introduction – Share Kindness With Others Challenge
• Lesson 1 – The History of Valentine’s Day Article
• Lesson 2 – Valentine’s Day Opinion Questions
• Lesson 3 – Fishbowl Class Discussion & Opinion Writing Assignment
• Lesson 4 – Vending Machines Podcast Lesson
• Lesson 5 – Valentine’s Day Choice Board
• Lesson 6 – Valentine’s Day Creative Writing Assignment
• Lesson 7A – QR Code Vocabulary Search
• Lesson 7B – Valentine’s Day Word Detective, Word Search & Crossword Puzzle
• Lesson 8 – Valentine’s Day Word Call Game

Lessons are scaffolded to help all learners achieve success. Students will learn about the historical background of Valentine’s Day traditions, prepare for a Valentine’s Day discussion about current customs and create 1 of 2 final creative projects. You can find the Valentine’s Day Unit on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD .

Valentine’s Day Lessons Unit Overview

• Introduction: Share Kindness With Others Challenge – Set the tone with a heartwarming activity that encourages kindness and empathy among students.
• Lesson 1: The History of Valentine’s Day Article – Delve into the captivating history behind Valentine’s Day through an article tailored for middle school comprehension. This article comes in both regular and modified versions. Students watch a brief video about the history of Valentine’s Day, then read a non-fiction article to help solidify this new learning. Comprehension questions for the article are included.
• Lesson 2: Valentine’s Day Opinion Questions – Encourage critical thinking with thought-provoking opinion-based questions. Students are given several Valentine’s Day-related opinion questions to answer. They will use their opinions and ideas in this lesson to assist with their fishbowl discussion and paragraph writing assignment.
• Lesson 3: Fishbowl Class Discussion & Opinion Writing Assignment – Foster a dynamic classroom environment with an interactive fishbowl discussion, sparking insightful opinion-based writing. Students use their prepared opinion ideas from Lesson 2 to participate in a class discussion and then a paragraph writing activity.
• Lesson 4: Vending Machines Podcast Lesson – Innovative learning unfolds with a captivating podcast lesson, exploring the use of vending machines in retail. Students will learn about how vending machines have changed over the years to include items such as specialty tea, cake, pizza, and more.
• Lesson 5: Valentine’s Day Choice Board – Empower students with through a choice board featuring diverse activities, catering to various interests. These activities have a focus on kindness.
• Lesson 6: Valentine’s Day Creative Writing Assignment – Students will select one of the provided character roles: Lost Valentine, Candy Hearts, Box of Chocolates, Stuffed Animal and Flowers and create a written or visual product based on the character’s specific writing prompt.
• Lesson 7A: QR Code Vocabulary Search – Incorporate technology seamlessly with a vocabulary search activity utilizing QR codes for an interactive lesson.
• Lesson 7B: Valentine’s Day Word Detective, Word Search & Crossword Puzzle – Boost vocabulary and problem-solving skills with fun and challenging word games tailored for the season.
• Lesson 8: Valentine’s Day Word Call Game – Wrap up the unit with an engaging word-based game that reinforces learning while keeping the excitement alive.

Unit Contains

• 10 Valentine’s Day-Themed Literacy Activities
• Detailed Teacher Instructions
• 1 Non-Fiction Article (regular and modified versions)
• MP3 Audio Files of Article
• Comprehension Questions
• Creative Writing Assignment
• Opinion Questions
• Fishbowl Discussion Template
• Opinion Writing Assignment (Paragraph or Essay)
• Exemplars and Templates
• Levels & Points-Based Rubrics
• Answer Keys
• Word Detective, Word Search & Crossword Puzzle, Word Call Games
• PDF & Google Slides™ Formats

Find this fun and engaging Valentine’s Day Unit on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD .

Additional Valentine’s Day Lessons Resources

News article.

• Valentine’s Day at a Calgary florist

Podcast Ideas for Valentine’s Day Lessons

Keep up the theme of candy and shopping with these consumer awareness podcast lessons about how companies get consumers to spend their money.

• Podcast Listening Comprehension Lesson – Fancy Product Names – Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
• Podcast Listening Comprehension Lesson – Subscription Boxes – Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD

Sub Plan Ideas for Valentine’s Day Lessons

If you need to be away around Valentine’s Day, these sub plans are easy to leave for your substitute teacher.

• Middle School ELA Sub Plans – Topic Effects of Sugar – Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
• Middle School ELA Sub Plans – Topic Party Planning – Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD

Creative Writing, Non-Fiction Article, & Digital Escape Room

If you’re looking for even more Valentine’s Day activities, here are some fun and creative ones your students will love.

• Valentine’s Day Creative Writing Assignment – Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
• Valentine’s Day Non-Fiction Article – Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
• Valentine’s Day Digital Escape Room – Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope these Valentine’s Day lessons for middle school students help with your February lesson planning load.

Other English Language Arts Lesson Plans

• Ditch The Weekly Lesson Prep: Full Year Lesson Plans For English Language Arts Teachers
• Article of the Week Lesson Ideas for Middle and High School Students
• The Comprehensive 100-Minute Literacy Block in the Intermediate Classroom

Related Posts

This FREE persuasive writing unit is

• Perfect for engaging students in public speaking and persuasive writing
• Time and energy saving
• Ideal for in-person or online learning

By using highly-engaging rants, your students won’t even realize you’ve channeled their daily rants and complaints into high-quality, writing!

The Real History of Valentine's Day, Explained

It may have roots in an ancient Pagan festival.

But as commercial as it seems these days, Valentine’s Day has a long and storied history that doesn’t revolve around the card companies’ bottom line. The history of Valentine’s Day actually finds its roots in ancient Rome and Victorian England, and it’s not as rosy as you might want to believe.

St. Valentine actually refers to several people

We don’t really know which St. Valentine the holiday technically celebrates, according to History.com. The Catholic church has records of at least three different martyrs named Valentine or Valentinus. One of them, a priest in third century Rome, defied the emperor Claudius when he decided to outlaw marriage for young men. Valentine continued performing marriage ceremonies for the lovers in secret, and Claudius had him killed for it when he found out.

Another Valentine supposedly helped Christians escape from prison, and was also martyred for it . Yet another one is said to have sent the first “Valentine” letter from prison, allegedly to the jailor’s daughter. Legend has it, he signed the note, “from your Valentine,” a greeting we still use today. Whichever saint the holiday memorializes, we generally agree he was kind, heroic and most importantly, very much pro-love.

The timing offsets an ancient Pagan holiday

Much like Christmas, Easter and other Christian holidays, we may have first begun celebrating Valentine’s Day in February in an effort to draw attention from a Pagan holiday set at the same time. In this case, that’s Lupercalia, a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. During the festival, Roman priests visited the cave where Romululs and Remus were said to have been raised by a she-wolf, and sacrifice a goat for fertility and a dog for purification, according to Encyclopedia Britannica . They then dipped the hide in the blood and went around town smacking women and crop fields with it, to encourage fertility in the new year.

Women also placed strips of paper with their names in a giant urn, as part of the celebration. Eligible bachelors drew names out of the urn, and those they chose would become their partner for the year. Many of those matches ended up married. At the end of the fifth century, the pope declared the holiday un-Christian, and replaced it with St. Valentine’s Day instead.

Romance became part of it later

Like many Christian feast days, Valentine’s didn’t become associated with secular practices until later. In the Middle Ages, people thought the feast day also symbolized the beginning of birds’ mating season and so they began to associate it with becoming, as Bambi so charmingly calls it, “twitterpated.” English poet Geoffrey Chaucer recorded the day as a romantic celebration for the first time in his 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules.” According to Poetry in Translation , he wrote, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”

And from the very beginning, people took issue with how Valentine’s Day was celebrated. “People love the idea that there were these wonderful eras before our own time when people celebrated Valentine’s Day in the most authentic way,” Elizabeth Nelson , a 19th-century pop culture expert who wrote the book on marketing the holiday told the University of Nevada . “But there was always this long and complicated history about Valentine’s Day and people actually thought that it was too commercial and insincere from the very beginning.”

Cards became more common in the 18th century

While people did share Valentine’s Day greetings with one another as early as the Middle Ages, written notes weren’t as popular, probably because the literacy rate wasn’t high, either. The oldest known valentine that still exists today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt . People who need some throwback love letter advice can still view it at the British Library in London.

Exchanging cards between lovers, family members and friends didn’t become widely popular until the 18th century. In the 1900s, improvements in printing technology made exchanging cards even easier (albeit a little less personal), with the advent of pre-printed cards. Postage got more affordable around that time too, which also contributed. At that time, Nelson says, cards were often a little off-color, frequently including sexual innuendo that might even make grandma blush today.

They started looking familiar in the 19th century

Today, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Australia and the United States, although it’s most common in the U.K. and the U.S. Americans likely began exchanging handmade cards in the early 1700s, but a woman named Esther A. Howland really changed the game in 1840 when she began selling the first mass-produced cards in the country. Known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” she created elaborate pieces of art that had real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.”

We’ve got Howland to thank for the explosion of cards’ popularity, ever since. Today, according to the Greeting Card Association , we send an estimated 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are each year, not counting the ones kids pass out in their classrooms. Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines. So when you lick your stamps this year, know you’re participating in an age-old tradition – and not just a commercial one.

@media(max-width: 64rem){.css-o9j0dn:before{margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-right:0.625rem;color:#ffffff;width:1.25rem;bottom:-0.2rem;height:1.25rem;content:'_';display:inline-block;position:relative;line-height:1;background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}} Valentine's Day 2024

Loveable Valentine's Day Jokes

The Cutest Valentine's Day Instagram Captions

60 Hilarious Quotes For Valentine's Day

70+ Best Valentine's Day Quotes for Friends

Put These Sweet Notes in Your Valentine's Day Card

Where to Buy Heart-Shaped Pizza on Valentine's Day

Treat Yourself With These V-Day Gifts

What to Give Mom on 2/14

44 Cheap Valentine's Day Gifts They'll Love

The Best Movies to Watch on V-Day

40 Unique Valentine's Day Gifts for Him and Her

Valentine’s Day Classroom Activities, Printables and Lessons

Happy Valentine’s Day! Celebrate the season of love this February 14 with printables, activities, and lesson plans that can be used across the curriculum to bring some fun and a little bit of love to your classroom. 

Valentine’s Day Ideas for the Classroom

Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity for students to learn about the story and origins of the holiday, and share their appreciation for friends, family, teachers - and themselves! Read on for our favorite classroom ideas to enjoy Valentine’s Day with your students.

Share the love with Valentine’s Day cards

Follow our Valentine’s Day Cards lesson plan or use this Pop-Up Hearts Cards printable to create cards your students can give to their friends or family to show their love and appreciation. Or encourage them to carry out acts of kindness for others.

Discover the stories behind Valentine’s Day

Read about the stories, myths, and legends in our information reference pages on St. Valentine's Day and Cupid . Or learn about how messages on candy hearts have changed over the years to keep spreading the love. 

Learn to say “I love you” in 16 languages

A fun way to introduce different languages to your students, this printable poster can be displayed on a bulletin board or given as a fun take-home activity for your students to share with their families and friends. Languages covered include German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Russian, French, and Latin.

Fun Valentine’s Day Activities

Explore our collection of printables, worksheets, and lesson plans to share this holiday of romantic and platonic love with your students. Choose from Valentine’s Day-themed choice boards, activity packets, art projects, information on the history of the holiday, and other cross-curricular activities. 

Valentine’s Day word searches, scrambles, quizzes, and puzzles are sure to get your elementary students’ brains working while bringing some fun into the classroom. Or why not introduce your students to Valentine’s Day math with our K-2 packet of math activities? Choice boards designed for elementary school and middle school students are easy and fun ways to incorporate the holiday - whether that’s for themed learning centers, early-finisher, or take-home tasks. Students can choose from math activities, stem activities, or reading and language arts activities.

Valentine's Day Choice Boards

These choice boards are a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your students and are perfect for early-finisher, extension, or take-home activities.

• Valentine's Day Choice Board for Elementary Students

Valentine's Day Choice Board for Middle School

• Valentine's Day Writing Activities & Crafts Choice Board (K-2)

Valentine's Day Printables

• Valentine's Day Activity Packet (K-6)
• Valentine’s Day Activity Packet - Puzzles, Games & Activities
• Top Valentine's Day Printables for K-8

Valentine's Day Station Rotations for Elementary Classrooms

How to Say "I Love You" in Many Languages

• Valentine Word Search
• Valentine's Day Scrambled Words

I Am Loveable

• Alphabet Valentines

Synonym Hearts

• More Valentine's Day Printables

Valentine's Day Math Activities

Valentine's Day Math Packet for Grades K-2

Valentine's Day Math Word Problems

Valentine's Day Lesson Plans

• Paper Making

Valentine Cards

Valentine's Day References

How Do I Love Thee?

• Cupid, and Other Classical Myths
• The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
• St. Valentine's Day
• Messages on Candy Hearts

Valentine's Day Art Projects

• 10 Valentine's Day Art Projects for Middle School
• Pop-Up Hearts Cards

Valentine Activity Kit for The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best Valentine Ever

• Heart Puzzle
• More Art Activities for Valentine's Day

Reading & Language Arts Activities

• Valentine’s Day Puzzles, Games & Activities All Students Will Love
• Romantic Couples in Literature
• Popular Valentine's Day Activities for Reading & Language Arts

Valentine's Day Word Games

• More Reading & Language Arts Activities for Valentine's Day

Social Studies Activities

• Romantic Couples Through the Ages
• Special Days
• Holiday Match
• February Slideshows

Gold Heart Day Activity

• More Social Studies Activities for Valentine's Day

Other Winter Holidays

• Chinese New Year Teacher Resources
• Christmas Teacher Resources
• December Holidays Resources for Teachers
• Groundhog Day Teacher Resources
• Hanukkah - Teacher Resources
• Kwanzaa Teacher Resources
• New Year's Teacher Resources
• Presidents' Day Teacher Resources

Recommended Valentine's Day Resources

Valentine’s Day Reading Comprehension Activities

Valentine’s Day Love Sonnet Poetry Activity for Middle School

Valentine’s Day Art Projects for Middle School

CHOICE BOARDS

Valentine’s Day Writing Activities & Crafts Choice Board (K-2)

Grade 3 Holiday Math and Literacy Kit

Valentine's Day Choice Board for Elementary Grades

Valentine’s Day Puzzles, Games & Activities All Students Will Love

EDITOR'S COLLECTIONS

Valentine's Day Activities Packet

Top Valentine's Day Printables for K-8

Valentine Word Search I

Valentine Word Search II

LESSON PLANS

How Can You Make a Thermometer?

The Gory Origins of Valentine’s Day

The holiday began as a feast to celebrate the decapitation of a third-century Christian martyr, or perhaps two. So how did it become all about love?

Lisa Bitel, The Conversation

On Feb. 14, sweethearts of all ages will exchange cards, flowers, candy, and more lavish gifts in the name of St. Valentine. But as a  historian of Christianity , I can tell you that at the root of our modern holiday is a beautiful fiction. St. Valentine was no lover or patron of love.

Valentine’s Day, in fact, originated as a liturgical feast to celebrate the decapitation of a third-century Christian martyr, or perhaps two. So, how did we get from beheading to betrothing on Valentine’s Day?

Early origins of St. Valentine

Ancient sources reveal that there were several St. Valentines who died on Feb. 14. Two of them were executed during the reign of  Roman Emperor Claudius Gothicus  in 269-270 A.D., at a time when persecution of Christians was common.

How do we know this? Because, an order of Belgian monks spent three centuries collecting evidence for the lives of saints from manuscript archives around the known world.

They were called  Bollandists  after Jean Bolland, a Jesuit scholar who began publishing the massive 68-folio volumes of  “Acta Sanctorum,”  or “Lives of the Saints,” beginning in 1643.

Since then, successive generations of monks continued the work until the last volume was published in 1940. The Brothers dug up every scrap of information about every saint on the liturgical calendar and printed the texts arranged according to the  saint’s feast day .

The Valentine martyrs

The volume encompassing Feb. 14 contains the stories of a handful of “Valentini,” including the earliest three of whom died in the third century.

The earliest Valentinus is said to have died in Africa, along with 24 soldiers. Unfortunately, even the Bollandists could not find any more information about him. As the monks knew, sometimes all that the saints left behind was  a name and day of death .

We know only a little more about the other two Valentines.

According to a late medieval legend reprinted in the “Acta,” which was accompanied by Bollandist critique about its historical value, a Roman priest named Valentinus was arrested during the reign of Emperor Gothicus and put into the custody of an aristocrat named Asterius.

As the story goes, Asterius made the mistake of letting the preacher talk. Father Valentinus went on and on about  Christ leading pagans  out of the shadow of darkness and into the light of truth and salvation. Asterius made a bargain with Valentinus: If the Christian could cure Asterius’s foster-daughter of blindness, he would convert. Valentinus put his hands over the girl’s eyes and  chanted :

“Lord Jesus Christ, en-lighten your handmaid, because you are God, the True Light.”

Easy as that. The child could see, according to the medieval legend. Asterius and his whole family were baptized. Unfortunately, when Emperor Gothicus heard the news, he ordered them all to be executed. But Valentinus was the only one to be beheaded. A pious widow, though, made off with his body and  had it buried at the site  of his martyrdom on the  Via Flaminia , the ancient highway stretching from Rome to present-day Rimini. Later, a chapel was built over the saint’s remains.

St. Valentine was not a romantic

The third third-century Valentinus was a bishop of Terni in the province of Umbria, Italy.

According to his equally  dodgy legend , Terni’s bishop got into a situation like the other Valentinus by debating a potential convert and afterward healing his son. The rest of story is quite similar as well: He too, was beheaded on the  orders of Emperor Gothicus  and his body buried along the Via Flaminia.

It is likely, as the Bollandists suggested, that there weren’t actually two decapitated Valentines, but that two different versions of one saint’s legend appeared in both Rome and Terni.

Nonetheless, African, Roman or Umbrian, none of the Valentines seems to have been a romantic.

Indeed,  medieval legends, repeated in modern media , had St. Valentine performing Christian marriage rituals or passing notes between Christian lovers jailed by Gothicus. Still other stories romantically involved him with the blind girl whom he allegedly healed. Yet none of these medieval tales had any basis in third-century history, as the Bollandists pointed out.

In any case, historical veracity did not count for much with medieval Christians. What they cared about were stories of miracles and martyrdoms, and the physical remains or relics of the saint. To be sure, many different churches and monasteries around medieval Europe claimed to have bits of a  St. Valentinus’ skull  in their treasuries.

Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, for example, still displays a whole skull. According to the Bollandists, other churches across Europe also claim to own slivers and bits of one or the other St. Valentinus’ body: For example, San Anton Church in Madrid, Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin, the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Prague, Saint Mary’s Assumption in Chelmno, Poland, as well as churches in Malta, Birmingham, Glasgow, and on the Greek isle of Lesbos, among others.

For believers, relics of the martyrs signified the saints’ continuing their invisible presence among communities of pious Christians. In 11th-century Brittany, for instance, one bishop  used what was purported to be Valentine’s head  to halt fires, prevent epidemics, and cure all sorts of illnesses, including demonic possession.

As far as we know, though, the saint’s bones did nothing special for lovers.

Unlikely pagan origins

Many scholars have deconstructed Valentine and his day in  books ,  articles  and  blog postings . Some suggest that the modern holiday is a Christian cover-up of the more ancient Roman celebration of Lupercalia in mid-February.

Lupercalia originated as a ritual in a rural masculine cult involving the sacrifice of goats and dogs and evolved later into an urban carnival. During the festivities  half-naked young men ran  through the streets of Rome, streaking people with thongs cut from the skins of newly killed goats. Pregnant women thought it brought them healthy babies. In 496 A.D., however, Pope Gelasius supposedly  denounced the rowdy festival .

Still, there is no evidence that the pope purposely replaced Lupercalia with the more sedate cult of the martyred St. Valentine or any other Christian celebration.

Chaucer and the love birds

The love connection probably appeared more than a thousand years after the martyrs’ death, when Geoffrey Chaucer, author of “The Canterbury Tales” decreed the February feast of St. Valentinus to the mating of birds.  He wrote  in his “Parlement of Foules”:

“For this was on seynt Volantynys day. Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.”

It seems that, in Chaucer’s day, English birds paired off to produce eggs in February. Soon, nature-minded European nobility began sending love notes during bird-mating season. For example, the French Duke of Orléans, who spent some years as a prisoner in the Tower of London, wrote to his wife in February 1415 that he was “already sick of love” (by which he meant lovesick.) And he called her his  “very gentle Valentine.”

English audiences embraced the idea of February mating. Shakespeare’s lovestruck Ophelia spoke of herself as  Hamlet’s Valentine.

In the following centuries, Englishmen and women began using Feb. 14 as an excuse to pen verses to their love objects. Industrialization made it easier with mass-produced illustrated cards adorned with smarmy poetry. Then along came Cadbury, Hershey’s, and other  chocolate manufacturers  marketing sweets for one’s sweetheart on Valentine’s Day.

Today, shops everywhere in England and the U.S. decorate their windows with hearts and banners proclaiming the annual Day of Love.  Merchants stock their shelves  with candy, jewelry and Cupid-related trinkets begging “Be My Valentine.” For most lovers, this request does not require beheading.

Invisible Valentines

It seems that the erstwhile saint behind the holiday of love remains as elusive as love itself. Still, as St. Augustine, the great fifth-century theologian and philosopher argued in his treatise on  “Faith in Invisible Things,”  someone does not have to be standing before our eyes for us to love them.

And much like love itself, St. Valentine and his reputation as the patron saint of love are not matters of verifiable history, but of faith.

Lisa Bitel, Professor of History & Religion, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Get the latest History stories in your inbox?

Click to visit our Privacy Statement .

Order Your Almanac Today!

Valentine's Day 2024: What Is the Real Meaning of Valentine's Day?

The Darker Origins of this Holiday

Valentine’s Day is Wednesday, February 14! This holiday has a surprisingly dark origin. Learn more about the real story of Valentine’s Day, why Valentine was killed, and some interesting facts and folklore you may not know!

When Is Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day occurs annually on February 14 . In 2024, it will be celebrated on Wednesday, February 14. 

Valentine’s Day Dates

Where did valentine’s day come from.

Valentine’s Day has its origins as an ancient agriculture and human fertility festival! From February 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia .

Read Next

• Was Valentine’s Day Once Warmer?
• Valentine’s Day Brings Cold Weather and Hot Romance

February Calendar 2024: Holidays, Fun Facts, and Folklore

This festival was in honor of Lupa, the wolf who was said to have suckled Romulus and Remus (who founded the city of Rome in 753 B.C., according to legend). This festival was also dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture. This was the season to start sowing seeds  and to hope for a fertile year of crops.

The Darker Origins of Valentine’s Day

Believe it or not, this pagan festival involved drunk young men running through the streets naked, women being smeared in animal blood, and unusual fertility rites. Ever heard the dating phrase “being hit on”? In this case, men literally hit on women by whipping them with the hides of the animals they had just sacrificed!

Apparently, many women were willing participants, lining up for the festival, believing this would make them fertile. Young men also drew the names of women from a jar. The couple would lie together during the festival in an effort to conceive.

When the Roman Empire became Christian, it evolved into a “Christianized” form of the festival of Lupercalia. The church honored St. Valentine—who was martyred at this time. However, much of the marriage and fertility traditions from the old ways persisted.

Who Was St. Valentine?

Emperor Claudius II executed two priests—both named Valentine—on February 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D.

Although not much of St. Valentine’s life is reliably known, and whether or not the stories involve two different saints by the same name is also not officially decided, one of the St. Valentines was martyred and then buried on the Via Flaminia to the north of Rome. Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to St. Valentine.

Why Was Valentine Killed?

As legend goes, the Emperor Claudius II prohibited soldiers to marriage. However, Valentine defied the orders and secretly married young couples to spare husbands from war. Valentine was imprisoned, tortured and beheaded. According to another legend, St. Valentine signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and healed from blindness.

In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius marked February 14 as day to honor their martyrdom and celebration of St. Valentine’s Day was born.

In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed St. Valentine from the General Roman Calendar because of the lack of reliable information about him.  However, the church still recognizes St. Valentine is a saint. He is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, happy marriages, love, lovers, and young people . He is represented in pictures with birds and roses and his feast day is celebrated on February 14.

The Middle Ages and Romance

The more romantic nature of Valentine’s Day was also celebrated in the Middle Ages, when it was believed that birds paired couples in mid-February. Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized this day of love in their work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. Handmade paper cards were even exchanged in the Middle Ages.

History of the “Valentine” Card

By the early 1600s, handmade Valentine’s Day cards were customarily sent from admirers to sweethearts. Around the year 1800, the first commercial cards appeared. Cards were usually sent anonymously.

As early as 1822, an English official reported having to hire extra postal workers on this Valentine’s Day. In 1849, Esther Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts, started selling quality valentines so popular that she was called “Mother of the American Valentine.”

The industrial revolution ushered in factory-made cards. And in 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo., began mass-producing valentines and it’s been a popular card-giving (and chocolate-indulging!) holiday ever since.

Valentine’s Day Poetry and Quotes

For the young and young at heart, it’s fun to make Valentine’s Day cards to send anonymously to a neighbor, someone in the nursing home, a good friend, or a family member! Gather up some vintage postcards, colorful paper, feathers, or whatever you have on hand. Put a big “?” on the inside and see if your recipient guesses their “secret admirer.” Or, here’s  how to make a homemade card using a potato (Spud-tacular!)!

One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII By Pablo Neruda I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations that propagate fire: I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself, and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose from the earth lives dimly in my body .

She Walks in Beauty By Lord Byron (George Gordon) She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that’s best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes .

[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in] by e.e. cummings i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling) .

First Love by John Clare I ne’er was struck before that hour With love so sudden and so sweet, Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower And stole my heart away complete .

Quotes About Love

• With your valentine be cuddled,   By a fireplace happily huddled. –The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 2010
• Love does not consist of gazing at each other but of looking together in the same direction .
• True love begins when nothing is looked for in return . –Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French writer (1900-44)
• Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind . –William Shakespeare, English playwright (1564-1616)
• Where there is love, there is no darkness .
• True love never grows old .
• Absence sharpens love; presence strengthens it .

Valentine’s Day Sweets

Valentine’s Day goes hand-in-hand with sweets, so why not try making one of our delicious Valentine’s Day recipes ? For chocolate lovers, see our best Chocolate Dessert Recipes . We’ve tested and made all of these chocolate recipes ourselves. (Someone had to do it!)

Valentine’s Day Flowers

Red roses seem to be the popular flower for loved ones as they symbolize love. Or, be different!  See our list of flower symbolism and find a meaning that suits your loved one .

Or, consider giving the gift of seeds! Here are wonderful  flowers with romantic names  as well as a flower list for “creating a romantic garden ”. Have a Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at  The Old Farmer’s Almanac!

Catherine Boeckmann

ADVERTISEMENT

Was Valentine's Day Once Warmer?

Valentine's Day Brings Cold Weather and Hot Romance

Be Mine! Valentine's Day Dessert Recipes to Steal Their Hearts

St. Nicholas Day 2024

Mother's Day 2025: When is Mother's Day This Year?

Your account of the bizarre Roman festival becoming “Christianized” is off base. The former has nothing to do with St. Valentine’s Day other than one of the days in common. It was a replacement, not another form of Lupercalia. Recall how Christians were brutally martyred at the time and how dangerous it was to be a Christian. Saint Valentine’s Day was established in order to replace the old pagan ways. If some of the strange pagan marriage and fertility traditions persisted, recall that not everyone converted to Christianity. If those weird rites persisted, it was despite the Church and not because of it.

There was a mysterious saint named Valentine who was killed in N. Africa along with some companions in the First Century. He was probably the true Saint Valentine.

Happy Valentines Day 2021; a good day to be nice to your neighbors + friends;

Run to the rescue with love, and peace will follow. ~ River Phoenix

Roses are red, Violets are blue, The love in my heart is only for you

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." Nature Boy song

It was in the film "The Boy with Green Hair".

I didn't know that there was a Christian bishop named Valentine and origin was dated back to A.D. 271. All I know is Valentine's Day is celebrated in most countries, different cultures have developed their traditions for this festival. In some places in the world, Valentine's Day is known as a day for expressing love between family members and friends, rather than that of romantic couples. This year I decided to give my wife a Jar full of 31 unique romantic notes from KindNotes. I am very excited about this year Valentine's Day.

Sometimes Cupid's arrows are ill aimed.

• More Comments

ESL Activities

ESL Games, Activities, Lesson Plans, Jobs & More

in Icebreakers + Warm-Ups · Listening · Speaking

ESL Valentine’s Day Activities, Games, Lesson Plans & More

If you’re looking for some fun ESL Valentine’s day games, activities, lesson plans, vocabulary, worksheets, and more, then you’re definitely in the right place. You’ll find everything you need to plan yourself an awesome Valentine’s lesson! Make use of the history of Valentine’s day lesson resource and the best Valentine’s day warm up activities. If you are interested in teaching ESL classes for other holidays, check out resources for Halloween , Easter , Thanksgiving , and Christmas .

ESL Valentine’s Day Warm-up Activities

ESL Valentine’s Day Activities and Games for All Ages

Are you ready to get into the fun Valentine’s day warm-up activities for the classroom? Let’s get to it!

#1: Valentine’s Day Cards

I LOVE to have my students make cards for their family and friends, or other classmates. Bring in some paper and art supplies and let students get creative!

Of course, show them some examples of common phrases you could normally find on these sorts of cards and explain what they mean.

#2: ESL Valentine’s Day Videos

I’m ALL about using videos in my ESL classroom, but there are a few things I do to get the most use out of them. In the case of Valentine’s day, there are a ton of good ones on YouTube, particularly related to the history of Valentine’s Day and related vocabulary.

To find out more about how to use videos effectively, you’ll want to check this out: ESL Videos and How to Use Them .

#3: Charades: ESL Valentine’s Day Game

This is a classic party game that’s ideal for game or activity days related to holidays. The way it works is similar to how you’ve probably played it, but you would just choose holiday-themed vocabulary.

To find out more about how to use it in the ESL classroom, check this out: Charades for English Learners.

• Amazon Kindle Edition
• Bolen, Jackie (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 78 Pages - 03/22/2021 (Publication Date)

#4: A to Z Alphabet Game

If your students are already quite familiar with Valentine’s Day vocabulary, then you could use this activity as a quick warmer activity to activate their prior knowledge.

However, if you are teaching students about this popular holiday for the first time, you could consider using it as a vocabulary review activity at the end of class.

The way it works is that students have to think of as many words (one per letter) as possible related to a certain theme. In this case, it’d be Valentine’s Day. The team with the most words at the end of the allotted time is the winner. You can find out more details about this ESL activity here: A to Z ESL Game .

• 81 Pages - 06/22/2021 (Publication Date)

#5: Task-Based Activities

There are a million and one task-based activities that students could do related to holiday-themed lessons. For example, they could do some research about the history of Valentine’s Day and then make a poster and do a presentation. Or, they could make cards for each other with some common phrases you might normally find on these types of cards.

Students could also conduct interviews to find out people’s thoughts on love and dating. Or, students could compare Valentine’s Day with a similar holiday in their own country.

Need more ideas for this kind of activity? Check this out: Task-Based Learning .

#6: I’m an Alien

It’s often the case that students already know a fair bit about this popular holiday before explicitly teaching them. If that’s the case, consider using this simple warm-up:

#7: Password Vocabulary Activity

This is a vocabulary review game that lends itself extremely well to Valentine’s Day. The way it works is that you divide the students up into two teams. The first team sends a member to the front and you show a secret word to the rest of the team who now have to describe it to the person who has to guess what it is.

It’s fun, and challenging and makes a perfect activity for a party day activity that has a bit of educational value to it! Do you want to know more? Check it out for yourself right here:

Password ESL Vocabulary Review Game

#8: Picture Prompt

I love bringing interesting pictures into my classroom. In this case, you’d choose a Valentine’s one filled with lots of things students could talk about.

Beginners can simply say the words of things they see, while more advanced students could make guesses or inferences about what’s happening. You can find out more about it here:

ESL Picture Prompt .

• 110 Pages - 06/05/2020 (Publication Date)

#9: Word Association

This vocabulary activity makes an ideal class warm-up to serve as an introduction to Valentine’s Day words. It’s basically making a mind map of words related to a certain theme. Do you want to know more about it? Find out all the details here:

ESL Word Association Activity .

#10: ESL Concentration Memory Game

Try out this fun memory game with your students. The way it works is that you can make sets of cards. For beginners, go with a picture and then the word, while more advanced students can have the word and then the definition. Cut them out and students, in groups of four place them face down in an organized fashion.

Then, it becomes a game where students have to find the matching pairs. Do you want to try it out? Here are the details about it:

ESL Concentration Memory Game.

#11: Valentine’s Day Board Game

I LOVE to play board games in real life and so try to bring them into the classroom as well. You can make one about just about any topic or grammar point, including holidays.

You can make it into a vocabulary game, or one where you have to give opinions on various love and dating things. Find out more details in this short video:

#12: Flyswatter ESL Game

If you want to have some fun with valentine’s words, then you’ll need to consider using flyswatter. The way it works is that you write a bunch of words randomly on the board. For example cupid, love, chocolate, date, roses, etc.

Then, divide the class into two teams and one student from each team comes to the front of the class. Each of them takes a flyswatter and then you can give hints about one of the words. The first student to slap that word gets a point for their team and the game continues on until everyone has had a chance to play. I usually erase the word and add a new one in its’ place.

You can learn more about it here: ESL Flyswatter Game .

#13: Just One Question

This is a quick survey activity that gets students talking about love and dating. The way it works is that in pairs, students have to think of one interesting question related to this theme that they’d like to ask their classmates about. Then, they survey at least 10 students, compile results and report what they learned to the class.

Do you want to try it out with your students? You can learn more about this activity here: https://eslspeaking.org/esl-warm-up-questions/

#14: Odd One Out

If you’re talking about different holidays like Valentine’s, Juneteenth , Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween, then you’ll want to try out this quick activity. The way it works is that you write sets of words on the board and students have to choose the one that doesn’t match. For example:

• Cupid, tree, heart, chocolate

There are a number of possible answers, but one obvious one is tree because it’s related to Christmas and not Valentines. I take any answer as long as students are able to tell me why. Find out more about it here: ESL Odd One Out .

#15: Valentine’s Day Songs

If you teach kids, then you’ll certainly want to try some songs and singing in your classroom. They’re a fun way for students to remember and practice new words that they learned related to this holiday. Have a look on YouTube and you’ll be able to easily find one that will work for your students.

#16: Write a Love Poem: ESL Valentine’s Day Activity

Roses are red. Violets are blue . . .

A fun activity you can try out for your Valentine’s day lesson is to get students to write a simple love poem, even if they don’t have a partner. It can be fun or silly—it’s up to the students!

#17: Valentine’s Listening Lesson

It’s quite easy to plan a lesson based on whatever topic you want. In this case, find a conversation between two people talking about their experience of Valentine’s Day. Or, perhaps one person talking about their best one ever. Then, follow the simple steps to make a fun and interesting lesson:

#18: Word Challenge

A fun time-filler that you can use in your classes is this spelling game. Of course, it’s not just a time-filler because spelling is an important skill for our students to work on.

The way it works is that students have to race to write a correctly spelled word on the whiteboard. In this case, you’d want to use Valentine’s Day themed vocabulary. Find out more here:

Word Challenge Activity .

#19: Dialogue Substitution

#20: Chain Spelling: ESL Valentine’s Day Activity

A fun, quick review of ESL vocab for Valentine’s Day is this chain spelling one. The way it works is that all the students stand up. Then, you say a vocabulary word. Students take turns spelling out the word, letter by letter. If they miss, they sit down and are out of that round. Continue until only 1-2 people are left standing.

#21: Dictogloss Valentine Day Activity

A challenging activity for more advanced learners that can be used for just about any topic, grammar point, or vocabulary set is Dictogloss. In this case, find a passage or write your own that talks about someone’s experience with Valentine’s Day or traditions in various countries. Those are just two examples, but they could be anything related to this holiday.

Then, read it out at a faster-than-normal pace for the level of students you are teaching. The students can take some brief notes and then, with a partner, compare what they have and try to recreate what they heard. Read it out again, and students do the same. Finally, they can compare what they have with the original version. Check it out:

ESL Dictogloss Activity.

#22: Cookie Decorating 

Try out this fun activity! Make or buy some heart-shaped cookies and pink icing. Then, ask students to bring in some things to decorate their cookies with. For example, sprinkles or candy. Be sure to have some paper plates on hand to prevent a huge mess!

#23: Have a Friendly Debate 

There are lots of things to debate about for Valentine’s Day! For example:

• Valentine’s Day is overrated.
• It’s better to go out for dinner on Feb. 13th or 15th.
• There’s too much focus on romantic love in my country.

Choose a topic and sides and get to talking.

#24: Write a Thank-You Note 

Valentines Day doesn’t have to be just about romantic love. It can also be a day to be thankful for other people in life. For example, parents, siblings, friends or teachers. Have students choose one of these people and write a short thank-you note, in English to them!

#25: Door Decorating Contest 

A fun way to celebrate just about any holiday is to get students to decorate a door in the school. Make it into a contest and have some admin judge it. The winning class can get a small prize of some kind.

#26: ESL Valentine’s Day Reading Comprehension Lesson

It’s easier than you might think to plan a reading comprehension lesson for any age or level in a few simple steps. In this case, find or write a passage of someone talking about the history of the holiday, or their personal experiences. Then, plan a whole reading lesson around that. Find out how right here:

I love to play some Bingo with my students to celebrate the holidays. Students can fill up their Bingo grid using themed vocabulary from a PowerPoint. Then, instead of just saying the word, give some clues about it. This levels up the difficulty and makes it a more valuable exercise.

#28: Love Letter Writing

Have students write love letters or Valentine’s Day cards to someone they care about. Encourage them to use vocabulary and expressions related to emotions and affection. They can then exchange their letters or cards within the class.

#29: Love Idioms Match-Up

Create a list of common love idioms or expressions (e.g., head over heels, love at first sight, a match made in heaven). Write each idiom on a separate piece of paper and cut them in half. Distribute the halves randomly to students, and they must find their idiom match.

#30: Conversation Heart Sentences

Use conversation heart candies (or heart-shaped cutouts) with words or phrases written on them. Each student gets a handful of hearts and must create grammatically correct sentences using the words or phrases on their candies.

#31: Love Song Lyrics Fill-in-the-Blanks

Choose a popular love song and create a worksheet with the lyrics, leaving out some key words. Play the song for the students and have them fill in the blanks as they listen. Discuss the meaning and vocabulary used in the song afterward.

#32: Valentine’s Day Story Chain

Start by giving the students a sentence that begins a Valentine’s Day story. Each student adds a sentence to continue the story, going around the classroom until you have a complete and entertaining tale.

#33: Candy Heart Sentences

Use conversation heart candies (or paper cutouts with phrases) with words or phrases. Students have to create grammatically correct sentences or short stories using the candy hearts.

#34: Valentine’s Day Story Chain

Start a story with a Valentine’s Day theme, and each student adds a sentence or two to continue the narrative. This collaborative writing activity encourages creativity and collaboration.

#35: Valentine’s Day ESL Scavenger Hunt

Create a scavenger hunt with clues written in English. The clues can lead students to different parts of the classroom or school where they find Valentine’s Day-related items or phrases.

#36: Love-themed Mad Libs

Provide students with a Valentine’s Day-themed Mad Libs worksheet. They fill in the blanks with various parts of speech, and then read the humorous and often silly story they’ve created.

#37: Would You Rather?

Choose some questions from this list of 50 “Would You Rather?” Valentine’s Day edition questions. These questions can be used as icebreakers or topics for speaking lessons.

History of Valentine’s Day Lesson

Did you know that this sweet and loving holiday actually roots in an ancient pagan festival? The name of the holiday comes from a man whose name is Valentine. During A.D. 200s, the Emperor of Rome banned marriage. The reason behind this decision was that the Emperor thought soldiers were better when they were unmarried. So, men were not allowed to get married to their loved ones. However, Valentine, a Roman priest, thought this was unfair. So, he secretly broke the rules and helped couples get married. Unfortunately, he eventually got caught and was killed on February 14th.

Then where does Valentine’s love letter come from? Before his death, Valentine wrote the world’s very first Valentine’s day love letter to a girl he loved. After many centuries, Pope Gelasius I declares February 14th as St. Valentine’s Day. Originally, Catholic Church celebrated this day but decided to discontinue the liturgical veneration in 1969. However, traditions evolved, and the world now celebrates this day as a romantic holiday.

ESL Valentine’s Day Worksheets

Do you want some Valentine’s worksheets that you can just print and go? They’ll make your life easy, so be sure to check out some of our top picks right here:

ISL Collective

Boggles World

ESL Made Easy

Valentine’s Day ESL Vocabulary

If you’re looking for a vocabulary list for ESL valentine’s day, here’s a simple one that hits the highlights:

• February 14th
• present/gift

ESL Valentine’s Day Lesson Plans

Are you looking for some Valentine’s Day ESL lesson plans? Then you’re certainly in the right place! Here are some of our top recommendations that’ll make your life easier. You can just print and go!

British Council

One Stop English 

ESL Holiday Lessons

Or, you could consider making your own:

Valentine’s Day Adjectives

Here are some of the most popular adjectives associated with Valentine’s Day:

• everlasting
• heart-shaped

Do you have any adjectives that you’d like to add to the list? Leave a comment and let us know!

Did you Like these Valentine’s Day Ideas for the Classroom?

• Smith, Jennifer Booker (Author)
• 134 Pages - 03/31/2016 (Publication Date)

Yes? Thought so! Then the book you’re going to love is this one over on Amazon: 101 ESL Activities for Kids . There are dozens of fun, engaging ESL activities that’ll help you get through the entire semester in style. The key to happy students who are having fun learning English is a variety of games and this book will help you do just that.

You can find the book in both digital and print formats. Take the digital copy with you to your favourite coffee shop on your phone or tablet for some serious lesson planning on the go. Or, keep a copy on the bookshelf in your office to use as a handy reference guide.

It really is that easy to have better English lessons. Pick up a copy of the book for yourself, but only if you want a serious dose of ESL teaching awesome in your life:

FAQs About ESL Valentine’s Day Activities and Lesson Ideas

There are a number of common questions that people have about this popular holiday. Here are the answers to some of the most common ones.

What is the real story of Valentine’s Day?

The real story of Valentine’s Day is hard to identify as there are three different Saint Valentines recognized by the Catholic Church. However, it’s thought that it might be based on the Saint Valentine of Terni, executed by the Roman emperor Claudius the Second on Feb. 14, 278 A.D.

What are the seven days before Valentine’s Day?

The seven days before Valentine’s Day, starting on Feb. 7th are:

• Propose day.
• Chocolate day.
• Promise day.
• Valentine’s day.

Was St. Valentine a killer?

St. Valentine was not a killer. He in fact was executed by the Roman emperor Claudius the Second for refusing to deny Jesus Christ.

What does the Bible say about Valentine’s Day?

The Bible doesn’t explicitly say anything about Valentine’s Day. However, there are numerous exhortations in the Bible to love one another as God has loved us.

What are some fun ESL Valentine’s Day activities?

Some fun Valentine’s Day activities are Bingo, making cards, decorating cookies, surveys or task-based learning projects like presentations.

Valentine’s Day Lesson Plans

ESL Valentine’s Day Activities and Games: Join the Conversation

What are your thoughts about these ESL valentine’s day activities? Did you try some of them out for this fun holiday ? What did you think? Or, please let us know your top recommendation for a lesson plan, worksheet or activity that you like to do on this special holiday. Leave a comment below and we’d love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other busy teachers, like yourself who are planning their Valentine’s Day lesson plan to find this useful teaching resource.

Last update on 2022-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

About Jackie

Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 15 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.

Jackie is the author of more than 60 books for English teachers and English learners, including Business English Vocabulary Builder and 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults . She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.

You can find her on social media at: YouTube Facebook Pinterest TikTok LinkedIn Instagram

Top Selling ESL Activity Book

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

More ESL Activities and Games

What is an ICQ (Instruction Checking Question): Definition & Meaning

How to Use Video in the ESL Classroom | Videos for ESL Students

Problem-Advice Board Game | ESL Board Games

Imperatives ESL Activities, Worksheets, Lesson Plans & More

About, contact, privacy policy.

Best-selling author and English teacher Jackie Bolen has been talking ESL activities and games since 2015. The goal is to bring you the best ideas, lesson plans, and activity recommendations for your TEFL classes.

Get in touch: About + Contact

Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Email: [email protected]

Address: 2436 Kelly Ave, Port Coquitlam, Canada

History of Valentine's Day Lesson Presentation and Creative Writing Assignments

• $3 99 $3.99 Unit price /  per 
• Who Stole the Love Letter Reading Mystery
• Writing a Break-Up Letter
• choosing a selection results in a full page refresh

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

History of Valentine’s Day

Updated: August 22, 2018 | Original: May 30, 2012

Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14th and where do the holiday customs come from?

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us